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GEOGRAPHY RESEARCH

These are one-of-a-kind journeys in which a small number of participants join international geographic-travel writer and photographer Victor Paul Borg on a real research trip. This could be a research trip for his photography, or for one of his geographic articles, or even to research a new tour for Pepper Mountains - the trip takes place in emerging or remote destinations. Victor is sometimes the first writer to cover emerging outdoor attractions such as new national parks or new areas open for tourism in Asia. A lust for the unspoiled outdoors or untouched cultures has led Victor to reach many places before anyone else; most famously, he was the first person ever to sleep with the famed People of the Caves in a remote crater in the Philippines.

In these journeys, you would get to join Victor on one of his odysseys. You get to soak in the classical rewards of travel that drives travel writers – a sense of discovery and unpredictability, and a chance to view a different part of the world before it’s subsumed by the homogeneity of globalisation. You learn things you will fondly remember all your life, and you’ll meet people for whom tourism has no meaning or monetary value - it’s the stuff of thrilling and immersive adventures.

These travels are not publicised on Pepper Mountains; most take place in Asia, although some could be in other parts of the world. These adventures are not for everyone: in some cases you’ll have to put up with the unpredictability of travel – such as arriving somewhere not knowing where you’ll lodge or what you’ll eat – that can unnerve certain people. It’s all part of the travel experience, and it will make you realise things about yourself you would have never thought of before. You’ll also be in good hands: Victor has proven, over more than 15 years of writing about travel, to be a competent traveller who can go further than many of his peers.

Some journeys are predictable and straightforward forays in places where infrastructure is developed. Others are more far out, requiring you to bring with you an element of mental fortitude or stamina; we’re talking about mental stamina – after all, anyone who’s healthy can find the physical strength to walk up a mountain, but not everyone can muster the mental stamina to reach the top. A second prerequisite is curiosity – a curiosity about the world around you that’s greater than any frustrations or moderate hardships you’ll experience along the way.

If you would like to experience a trip that’s different and original, and also learn something about the work of the travel writer and photographer on the road, then write to us to enquire about upcoming geographic adventures planned by Victor. These trips are planned several months in advance.

Details of upcoming journeys will be discussed individually with each interested participant. Prices depend on the level of comfort and mobility sought by the participants. Victor normally travels with a variety of means – public transport where it’s available and convenient, and other arrangements where public transport isn’t available. The participants can travel as Victor does, and hence travel on a budget, or pay more and everyone travels better in a private vehicle, and also travel more comfy overall by eating more refined food, for example.

You can read some of Victor’s stories, and see some of his pictures, in this website, or at his personal portfolio website by clicking here.